With his debut in the MCU and parts in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the world at large finally knows something most comic fans can agree on- Doctor Strange is awesome. The most powerful sorcerer in the Marvel Universe, Doctor Strange has been protecting the world from threats that would freeze the blood of even the hardiest hero for years.
This being comics, DC also has their own immensely powerful sorcerer hero- Doctor Fate. Empowered by the Helmet of Nabu, Doctor Fate has been protecting the world from all kinds of threats since WWII. This list is going to look at reasons why Doctor Strange would defeat Doctor Fate, and reasons why he wouldn't.
10 Doctor Strange: He's Better On His Own
Doctor Strange is much more of a solo act than Doctor Fate. He has joined up with teams in the past; he's a founding member of the Defenders and, in recent years, has joined the Avengers. For the most part, Strange does his own thing, fighting demons, monster, dark gods, and evil sorcerers.
Doctor Fate is extremely powerful, but most of the time, he has worked with the Justice Society of America or other sorcerers. Strange's self-reliance gives him an innate edge over Doctor Fate.
9 Doctor Fate: Experience
Doctor Fate has been battling evil since World War II. Archeologist Kent Nelson found the Helmet of Nabu and joined the Justice Society of America, helping fight supervillains and Nazi saboteurs. The power of the helmet delayed the aging process in Nelson, as well.
Beyond that, Nabu resides within the helmet, and he has thousands of years of experience to draw from. He uses that knowledge to guide Doctor Fate, giving him advice that helps him win his battles.
8 Doctor Strange: The Crimson Bands Of Cyttorak
Most comic fans know the name Cyttorak because of the Juggernaut. Cyttorak is the dark god that empowers Juggernaut. However, Doctor Strange has access to a very powerful spell called the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak that can be used to bind his opponents.
Fans of the MCU have seen the spell as well, where it held Thanos while he was wielding several Infinity Stones, including the Power Stone. It's one of the most powerful spells in Strange's repertoire.
7 Doctor Fate: Two Heads Are Better Than One
One of Doctor Fate's biggest advantages over his opponents is that he has numerical superiority over his foes. When fighting Doctor Fate, bad guys aren't just fighting Doctor Fate; they're also facing Nabu.
Having two people whose brains are always working and trying to figure out the best way to defeat their enemies gives Doctor Fate an advantage in any battle.
6 Doctor Strange: Two Squabbling Heads
The biggest problem with the Doctor Fate and Nabu relationship is that they don't always agree on the best course of action. This can cause a lot of confusion between the two. For a being who is thousands of years old and a Lord of Order, Nabu can be pretty petty, holding back information and power Fate needs when he doesn't get listened to.
Strange doesn't have this problem, as all his power and info comes from himself. However...
5 Doctor Fate: He Knows Way More Spells
Nabu may be a bit of a drama queen sometimes, but he easily knows more spells than Strange. A Lord of Order, Nabu has existed for millennia and has a greater knowledge of spellcraft than Strange could ever hope to have.
Doctor Fate also has the Tower of Fate, a tower with no doors or windows that contains a multitude of spellbooks. When he's not helping his friends, Fate has been known to stay in the tower and study those books, learning spells on his own so he doesn't have to depend on Nabu so much.
4 Doctor Strange: Mystical Artifacts
Over the years, Strange has collected many mystical artifacts. He always has the Eye of Agamotto and his Cloak of Levitation, but he's also collected all kinds of objects of power from his enemies.
He's spent time learning to use them and cleansing them of any evil influences. With all of these powerful artifacts, Strange can take on just about any magical threat.
3 Doctor Fate: Physical Superiority
While Strange isn't exactly useless without his magic powers, he's not known as much of a fighter. Even if he was, his strength and durability are just those of a regular human, and any spells he could cast to up them could be countered.
Doctor Fate, on the other hand, has been granted super strength and invulnerability by the Helmet of Nabu. While he's not strong enough to go toe to toe with someone like the Hulk, he's more than strong enough to knock out a regular human. This gives him an extra dimension in his fights that Strange doesn't have.
2 Doctor Strange: He's Used To Battling Beings Way More Powerful Than Him
Doctor Strange is very, very powerful. Being a master of magic is like being a hacker, except instead of hacking computers, one is hacking reality. When it comes to non-magical threats, Strange's powers can be a bit overkill.
However, in the arenas he usually works in, Strange is vastly overpowered by his foes. One of his greatest enemies is Dormammu, a being who is the god of his own dimension. Strange has learned that sometimes he can't match his foes powerwise, so he has to outthink them, and this is something he's excelled at.
1 Doctor Fate: The Power Of Nabu
Doctor Strange may be used to facing beings much more powerful than him, but Fate takes it to a whole new level. Nabu is a Lord of Order, a member of a group of beings who represent the balance of the universe. They are founts of mystical energy, and their power is near infinite.
The sheer amount of power that Nabu brings to the table is just about incalculable, and unlike some of Strange's more powerful foes, he's not as easy to trick. The combination of Fate and Nabu has been able to defeat many of the most powerful and canny magical threats the DC Universe has to offer and would present a threat unlike any Strange has ever dealt with.